An investigation on community spaces in condominiums and their impact on social interactions among apartment dwellers concerning the city of Colombo

Abstract

Although there is an extensive understanding of the planning and design concerns associated with community spaces in public places, there is still much to be explored on what makes community spaces succeed or fail concerning the level of interactions in high rise apartments. Lessons from high profile failures and successful facts should inform planners on how to improve the plan, based on whether shared facilities are included or not and how many percent of total space should be allocated for the communal use in high rise apartments as the concerns are rising on the social isolation of people in these dwellings. This study questions about to what extent community spaces in luxury condominiums contribute to promoting social interactions among apartment dwellers and what community space characteristics catalyze social interactions. The study employs mixed methods of observation and questionnaire surveys in three condominiums in the city of Colombo. This paper argues that residents’ usability and high-intensity of social interactions are connected with a larger size, connectivity of spaces, visual appearance, provision of green and seating arrangement. The location of the place and visibility showed a positive correlation in terms of upgrading social interactions. Post hoc analysis reveals the swimming pool area as the most functioning area while the multi-purpose room/seating room/game room area and kids’ area as the less interactive areas. Supporting the assemblage theory, the results highlight the assemblage of the kids’ area, swimming pool, and gym would increase the number of interactions. Finally, the study provides recommendations for the appropriate design principles and suitable policy interventions in promoting socially connected communities in condominiums.

Keywords

• Community spaces
• Condominiums
• Social interactions